By: Vivek Mishra
In an IPL showdown on Thursday, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, positioned at the bottom of the league table, triumphed over Sunrisers Hyderabad by 35 runs, aided by spinners Karn Sharma and Swapnil Singh’s crucial four wickets.
With this surprise victory, Bengaluru concluded their six-match losing streak.
Batting first after winning the toss, Bengaluru posted a competitive 206-7. Virat Kohli’s steady 51 and a quick 25 from Faf du Plessis laid the foundation.
Rajat Patidar’s explosive 50 off 20 balls propelled them to 130 in the 13th over. Despite losing momentum, Cameron Green’s unbeaten 37 off 20 balls bolstered their total.
Chasing 207, Hyderabad stumbled early, losing Travis Head for just 1 in the first over.
Abhishek Sharma’s brief 31 off 13 balls couldn’t salvage the innings. Karn and Swapnil’s combined effort dismantled the middle order, reducing Hyderabad to 69-5 in the eighth over.
Hyderabad skipper Pat Cummins, who hit a 15-ball 31 with three sixes, provided some lower-order flourish before dismissal to national teammate Green, who bowled two tight overs for 12 runs and two wickets.
Hyderabad is still comfortably placed in the third spot on the IPL table, and Cummins stated that he “won’t dwell on this one too much”.
With this win, Bengaluru secured only their second victory in nine games.
Winning captain Plessis remarked that their team had “been close for a while but you need to win matches to get confidence in the group”.
“A massive win for us. When you’re not winning, it does affect you mentally, it does affect your confidence,” he said.
(AFP)
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